The present invention relates to ultrasound devices and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus that enables battery packs of different sizes to be used with an ultrasound device.
An ongoing effort is being made by manufacturers of medical ultrasound imaging systems to make them small and portable so that clinicians can easily carry them to the patient location. This is viewed in the ultrasound industry as a superior alternative in many situations to the conventional approach of having a large, expensive and immobile ultrasound system located in an examination room.
Currently, portable ultrasound systems are available that are capable of being powered by a battery pack that is attached by some mechanism to the ultrasound device. For example, SonoSite, Inc. of Bothell, Wash. provides a small, battery-powered, portable medical ultrasound imaging system that is powered by a rechargeable 3.0 ampere hour battery that is located inside the ultrasound system and that is easily removable. The ultrasound system can operate for 1.5 to 4 hours on a charged battery. The battery is designed to be removable so that a discharged battery can be removed and a fully charged battery can be installed. The ultrasound system can then be used while the discharged battery is being recharged.
One of the disadvantages of this type of solution is that, because the battery packs are installed either in a compartment within the ultrasound system or within a recessed region of the ultrasound system, a larger battery pack or a battery pack having a slightly different form factor cannot be used with the ultrasound system. In other words, the physical structure of the ultrasound system, or at least the mechanisms for securing the battery pack to the ultrasound system, would have to be altered to accommodate the change in the battery pack.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method and apparatus that would enable battery packs of different sizes and/or that have different form factors to be used with an ultrasound device without having to change the physical structure of the ultrasound device to accommodate the change in the battery pack and without having to change the mechanism for securing the battery pack to the ultrasound device.
A method and apparatus for enabling battery packs of different sizes to be used with an ultrasound device. The apparatus of the present invention comprises an ultrasound device having a battery pack installment apparatus configured to be capable of being coupled with battery packs of different sizes. The method comprises the step of providing the ultrasound device with a battery pack installment apparatus that is configured to couple with battery packs of different sizes.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, drawings and claims.